The NC State Men’s Basketball team suffered a huge defeat against the Duke Blue Devils, after coming off a loss in overtime at Notre Dame on Saturday. The final score from last night’s game was 93-64.
The game started fairly even for the first 10 minutes, with Duke trailing by one point with 12:09 remaining in the 1st. The Wolfpack went without a field goal for over three minutes with 5:06 remaining in the half. The Blue Devils took the opportunity and went on a 11-2 run, opening up the score gap and leading by 17 at halftime (47-30).
By the second half the Blue Devils took control of the game – dominating the court with three-pointers and scoring 42 points in the paint. The Wolfpack couldn’t handle the pressure Duke was applying offensively and defensively. Senior guard Darion Williams finished with 17 points, and freshman forward Musa Sagnia finished the game with 8 rebounds.
It’s been a tough couple of weeks for the Wolfpack, as the NCAA Tournament is approaching. Head coach Will Wade reflected on the season’s losses after the game.
“You have a seven-point lead with 57 seconds left, you lose at home, you have a seven-point lead with 2 and a half minutes left. Notre Dame didn’t take the lead or tie the game till overtime, and you lose the game.”
Will Wade knew last night’s blowout wasn’t unexpected; however, failing to close out games while being in the lead is something they’ve been struggling with all season. Winning those games would’ve put them in a better position for the upcoming tournament.
The next game for the Wolfpack is on Saturday at the Lenovo Center at 2:15 pm against Stanford.
How Will Caleb Wilson Loss Affect UNC’s Post Season Hopes